A draft law on equating participants in a special military operation (SVO) from new regions of Russia to the status of veterans is ready and will be submitted to the State Duma on February 27. This was announced on Thursday, February 23, by the Secretary of the General Council of United Russia, the head of the parliamentary coordinating group on special operations, Andrey Turchak, in his Telegram channel.
He noted that the bill primarily concerns militias from the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR), who have been defending Donbass since 2014.
“We are talking about those militias who were part of the military formations of the LDNR and, with weapons in their hands, took part in hostilities on the side of the republics until they became part of the Russian Federation,” Turchak explained.
He also expressed hope that the bill would be adopted as soon as possible so that veterans of Donbass and their families could receive all the necessary support measures on an equal basis with other members of the SVO.
Earlier on the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his conversation with the participants of the NWO on the occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day, promised to extend the status of a combat veteran to the military of Donbass.
The servicemen addressed the head of state with a corresponding request. They explained that due to the fact that at the time of dismissal this category of military was not a citizen of Russia, federal laws on veterans do not apply to them. Putin replied that this would be corrected for sure.
The head of state also noted that caring for the defenders of Russia is a sacred duty of the state.
On November 10, 2022, State Duma deputies adopted a law extending the status of a combat veteran to volunteers participating in the SVO. According to the bill, volunteers and members of their families, along with the military personnel of the RF Armed Forces, will be able to enjoy the benefits and measures of social support established by law. In addition, volunteers who became disabled as a result of injury, concussion or injury while participating in a special operation will be able to apply for the status of a combat invalid.
Earlier, in July, the President of Russia signed a law granting veteran status to civilians participating in the SVO. We are talking about civilian personnel of the RF Armed Forces, repair teams, doctors and other specialists. As the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin pointed out at the same time, earlier they could receive such a status if they were injured during the performance of tasks.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian military.
